There was a little blurb somewhere in this forum in the last few days, where someone quoted Pope Benedict XVI when he said that it is not likely that the Holy Spirit had a direct decision-making role in pope-making.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was asked on Bavarian television in 1997 if the Holy Spirit is responsible for who gets elected. This was his response:

I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope. ... I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. Thus the Spirit's role should be understood in a much more elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined.

Further:
There are too many contrary instances of popes the Holy Spirit obviously would not have picked!

Old Salt Wrote:I have never seen Allen write on the following idea of the Papal Conclave as given to us by Cardinal Ratzinger:

"Perhaps the classic expression of this idea belongs to none other than the outgoing pope, Benedict XVI, who as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was asked on Bavarian television in 1997 if the Holy Spirit is responsible for who gets elected. This was his response:

“I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope. … I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. Thus the Spirit’s role should be understood in a much more elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined.”

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was asked on Bavarian television in 1997 if the Holy Spirit is responsible for who gets elected. This was his response:

I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope. ... I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. Thus the Spirit's role should be understood in a much more elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined.

Further:
There are too many contrary instances of popes the Holy Spirit obviously would not have picked!

(03-16-2013, 10:34 AM)Scriptorium Wrote: Open up your missals and read the collect for the Pope. The choice is [b]an act of God,[/b] even if he uses fallible men. If they decide to change the rules (no white smoke, etc. etc.), that's fine, but the choice is God's. Red shoes are not God's will, but a tradition of men that has grown up with other traditions. Fine. The mistake is conflating passing things with the essentials, or weighing passing things over common respect for another person. Regain perspective is my message. The red shoes was just symbolic of this. This loss of persepctive has gained sinful proportions on this forum, other Catholics forums, and in general in the "traditionalist" scene. And it's been three days. No need to reply with qualifications. No amount of worry or prognostication justifies people saying the things they are.

Understanding what Pope Benedict XVI said, the Holy Spirit does NOT have a direct decision on who is made pope. The Holy Spirit "leaves us much space, much freedom."

The Holy Spirit didn't walk into the room and tell the cardinals how to vote. The foggy nebulous "Ghost" of the Holy Spirit didn't waft into the cardinals, transform them into zombies, and control how the voted.